Obscurity
by Besh4221
Summary: AU/AH fic. What if Bella came to Forks for a different reason? And what if Emmett decided to be her friend, but things played out differently than either of them expected? Now complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Twilight. That whole shebang belongs to Stephenie Meyer. I just take the characters and play with them sometimes.

**Blanket Warning:** Swearing, depression, attempted suicide, and AAAAAAAAAAAAAANGST.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 1

_It's better this way,_ Bella thought as she watched a red line slowly make its appearance on her arm. Soon, she'd have made enough red lines that she would be able to slip into obscurity yet again. This time, though, she was taking steps to make sure she wouldn't be noticed again. Eternal obscurity was preferable to the pain and humiliation she felt.

_I should have known he wouldn't want me,_ the thought sprang forth in her mind, and another red line appeared, crossing over the others. _Stupid, worthless me for even thinking that that could ever happen._

This line was deeper than the others. Bella hadn't expected to go so deeply so soon. She wasn't done yet. Blunt panic began to creep through her body as she watched the crimson gush out of her arm and drown all the other red lines she'd made.

"Charlie!" she screamed. "Charlie! _Daddy! Daddy, help me, please!_"

* * *

Emmett walked into the high school, uncomfortably aware of the scrutinizing stares he was getting from what seemed like everyone. In reality, people were only giving him glances; it was kind of hard not to, since he was such a large student. Wherever he went, he was noticed. Usually it didn't bother him. But today… Today he would've liked to be obscure and inconspicuous. To not be Emmett McCarty for a little while.

There were people who were staring at him, people who had seen what had happened yesterday between him and Bella Swan. Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie were all giving him gimlet stares, stares that only intensified when he gave them a nervous wave.

"Guys, what's with the glarefest?" Emmett asked as he walked over to them.

"Guess what Carlisle just told us," Edward replied in a hard voice. "Did you know that there was a new arrival in the hospital yesterday? Some girl was rushed into the ER by her father, with one arm bloodied beyond belief, and a major artery in her arm cut. Carlisle said it was a suicide attempt."

"That's…horrible," Emmett said. "But that doesn't explain why…" he trailed off, his eyes widening in horror as it dawned on him. "Not…Not Bella? Bella Swan? She tried to _kill herself_ yesterday?"

"And damn near succeeded," Rosalie viciously responded. "Lucky thing that for some reason she screamed for her dad and was saved just in time. I wonder what could possibly have made her want to go and do something like commit suicide yesterday."

"Let's see," Alice continued Rosalie's train of thought, tapping her chin mock ponderingly. "Well, let's start with who she talked to. There was –"

"Rose, Alice, I really don't have time for this," Emmett cut across them impatiently.

"No, but apparently you had time to crush this girl so terribly that she tried to kill herself to get away from the pain you made her feel."

"How was I supposed to know that she would go and cut herself to ribbons?" Emmett demanded.

"Emmett, you know that she's always been fragile," Jasper said harshly. "She's always been the quiet one, the timid one, the easily hurt one. You know that we all got that huge lecture when she transferred here from Arizona, about depression and suicidality? Jesus, the girl already tried to off herself once before."

"All I ever wanted was to help her," Emmett said quietly, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Well, you did an awesome job of it, really," Edward said mockingly. "You should get an award."

"Shut the hell up," Emmett said heatedly. "I need to go."

"Go where?"

"Wherever Bella is."

"You sure that's a good idea? I mean, this _is_ your fault and everything."

"Shut up, I said!" Emmett roared, making everyone stare at him just like what he'd imagined, except now they were actually staring. "It isn't my fault what happened to Bella. But I'm going to go see her. I'm going to help her."

"Good luck, then," Rosalie snorted. "Oh, and just so you know, we're all extremely angry with you. I suggest you don't do anything stupid while you visit Bella."

"Rosalie. Shut. The fuck. Up. I won't say it again," Emmett said, giving them all a glare that more than matched theirs. "Oh, and just so you know, you all are assholes," he added before turning and rushing out to his Jeep. He needed to see Bella.

* * *

"Boy, you have a lot of nerve showing up here," Charlie Swan said, crossing his arms as he stared down Emmett, who'd rushed into the hospital in a near-panic. "Give me one good reason I should let you near my daughter after what you put her through."

"Please, Chief Swan, I swear I never meant to hurt her this badly," Emmett pleaded. And he didn't. He'd just wanted Bella to be happy, so that he could see that beautiful smile of hers. He'd wanted to help. "I have to see her, sir. I…I need to know that she's okay."

"She'll be okay, as long as you stay away," Charlie said in a tone like ice.

Emmett swallowed hard; that hurt. A lot. "Okay, sir. But…can I please at least see her? I won't say a word, I swear. I need to see for myself that she'll be okay. Then I'll leave her alone, you have my word."

Charlie stared at him for a long time, then finally said, "She's sleeping right now, so you can go in and look at her. But don't you dare touch her or even _think_ about waking her." Emmett nodded and followed Charlie into Bella's room.

Emmett choked as he saw Bella lying on the hospital bed. She was so pale…and her arm… Emmett started to cry as he saw what she'd done to herself. What _he'd_ made her do. He made no attempt to wipe the tears from his face, just letting them pour down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Bella," he mouthed to her. The tug on his arm let him know that Charlie had been as nice as he was going to be. Emmett sighed and turned to leave.

"Em…mett…?" He and Charlie both froze, then turned slowly. Bella's eyes were fluttering open, and Emmett bit his lip as her gaze eventually focused on him. "Emmett…you came…" she whispered, then began to sob.

"Leave." Emmett had already left the room and was running through the parking lot. He managed to get inside and close the door before he rested his head on the steering wheel and sobbed. The guilt and the pain at seeing Bella so weak, nearly dead, because of _him_… It twisted his insides like cake batter. His gasps for air seemed like they had to claw their way out of his throat so that he could breathe. His heart felt like it had been split.

Bella Swan…the girl he loved. The girl he'd lost. If just seeing him sent her into hysterics, then it was better that he stayed far away from her. _It's better that way, _he thought as he managed to get the keys into the ignition and start the Jeep. _I should have known I couldn't want her._

* * *

**A/N: **Aaaand here's my latest idea, and one that will actually be completed fairly quickly, that I can confidently promise. It won't be very long, but I don't think it should have to be. It's what happens to me when I read angsty Twilight fanfiction. Blame other authors for this one, not me. 

Anyway, I hope you'll stick around for the next chapter. I think they'll all be around this length, some may be a bit longer or shorter, depending on the way the story breaks itself up. It's literally writing itself. Please review and tell me what you think, either on every chapter or at the very end, as long as I get some sort of feedback.

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	2. Chapter 2

Thanks to **mihel asyki akatsuki schizo**, **Vicki-Emmett-Cullen-**, and **kelleygirl** for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Twilight. Nor am I a doctor; I used WebMD along with a bit of personal experience to describe some of the symptoms of dysthymia (chronic depression).

**Obscurity**

Chapter 2

The alarm clark blared annoyingly, and Bella slapped it a couple of times before it turned off. Blinking sleepily at the bright Arizona sun, she covered her eyes with one arm and rolled out of bed. Today was the day she moved to Forks, Washington.

She reflected dully on the circumstances that had led to her decision to move there. She had what doctors told her was dysthymia. She'd looked it up for herself and had found that most of the symptoms for dysthymia (a.k.a. chronic depression; she was depressed, joy of joys) described were ones that she had been experiencing.

Bella supposed that she had good reason for some of them. Persistent sad or empty feeling? That would probably be because of the fact that she was constantly all alone, since her poor mother was so busy working four jobs to get them a nice place to live that she didn't really notice that Bella had made no friends and simply couldn't fit in, since she was so different.

Feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness? Well, she felt helpless to change anything, hopeless that anything would ever change anyway, and worthless because for some reason, she wasn't strong enough to make changes for herself. Feelings of guilt? She felt a lot of guilt over the fact that she was so needy and dependent, and that's why her mother nearly killed herself working.

Loss of interest or the ability to enjoy herself? What reason would she possibly have for enjoying herself? Loss of energy or fatigue…She definitely liked to sleep more often than not. Changes in appetite were also a definite thing; food just didn't seem as interesting, as necessary, as important. Observable mental and physical sluggishness were apparent in her slipping grades and poor coordination.

Thoughts of death or suicide. This last one was the reason she was moving to Forks, after her mother had come home exhausted to find her daughter on the verge of death, an empty bottle of prescription medication lying discarded on the floor. Painkillers. Bella had tried to kill herself by overdosing on painkillers.

She just wanted to stop living, stop being such a waste of space. She didn't work, she didn't drive, she didn't cook, she didn't clean. All she did while her mother ran herself ragged was lie in bed, lost in a fog. She wanted to get up and do something, anything. But she just didn't have the energy. And she constantly forgot to take her medicine, since she frequently lost interest in curing herself. What was the point?

"Bella? Bella, baby, are you up?" Renée's voice came floating through Bella's door. "It's almost time to leave for the airport. I've already gotten your stuff packed and everything. I thought we could do something together before you go." Bella bit her lip; her mother had spent the early morning hours of her only day off during the week packing Bella's things and getting ready for her to leave. Bella wondered if her mother had even slept since she'd gotten home at 3:30 this morning.

And with that thought came the crushing guilt. _Why am I such a burden on someone who doesn't deserve it?_ Bella decided that she would try and get better. She wanted to show her mom that she was capable of acting like a human being.

"Bella?" Bella opened the door and attempted a smile. She actually halfway succeeded, and her mother gave a tentative smile in return. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, Mom, I just have to grab a few small things," Bella replied, grabbing her iPod and the book she'd currently been reading. "What do you want to do?"

"I figured maybe we could go for some breakfast or something," Renée suggested. "What do you think?"

Bella's first instinct was to say that that was alright, that she wasn't really hungry. But she hadn't eaten for three days, and she figured that sleep wouldn't be enough to keep her alive all the time. "That sounds great, Mom. Where did you want to go?"

"I hadn't had any particular idea in mind." They walked out of the house Bella had lived in since she was four and got in the car. "Why don't you pick a place, hun?"

Bella thought about it. What was she in the mood for? _Hahaha, mood. I don't think they have a Chez la Depression anywhere in the country,_ she thought wryly. "Uh, we can just go to a diner in the airport if you want." Her mom's eyes closed, and Bella immediately berated herself. _Stupid, stupid, stupid. _"Or we can go to, uh…That one place we got takeout from a couple of days ago."

"You mean the Chinese restaurant." Her mother sounded amused. Bella nodded, embarrassed. "I dunno if they're open this early, but we can check. And if not, then…we'll eat in the airport." The break in her voice was barely there, but Bella heard it.

"Mom, I…"

"Bella." Her mom's voice was quiet, but firm. And horribly sad.

"I'm sorry," Bella said, putting in her earphones and searching for something, anything to drown out the pain she felt. Music always helped.

* * *

"Welcome home, Bella," Charlie said, giving his daughter a tight hug. He cursed internally in shock at how thin she was. She'd been healthy the last time he saw her, when she was a preteen. What had happened to her?

"Thanks, Charlie," Bella replied, and Charlie gave her a tiny smile. For some reason, she'd always been more comfortable calling him Charlie rather than calling him Dad. After the falling out he and Renée had had, Charlie was glad Bella called him anything other than "him."

"Well, let's get your stuff, then," he said, and they walked to the baggage claim, Charlie holding onto Bella's hand like he was afraid she'd vanish if he let go.

"Your room is the same as it always was; I didn't want to change anything until you'd had a chance to have some input," Charlie said as he pulled into the driveway. Bella nodded and got out of the police cruiser, moving to grab some of her bags.

"You just grab your bookbag and your purse, I can get the suitcases," Charlie said quickly, and Bella looked at him for a second. She tried to remember her promise to herself to become strong, but Charlie had already taken the heaviest suitcases and was gruntingly heaving them into the house. She bit her lip, slung her bookbag over her shoulder, grabbed her purse, and followed him inside.

"You came just in time for the new school year," Charlie said after they'd finished unpacking her things and gotten her settled in. "I'll take you around tomorrow so you can get some school supplies and things."

"That sounds great, Charlie," Bella said, and they shared a small half-smile. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and lightheaded.

"Bella? Bella, what's wrong?" Charlie's voice was worried. Bella tried to respond, but she fell into darkness before she could say anything.

* * *

**A/N: **Reviews make me feel like someone's paying attention. :D

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	3. Chapter 3

Thanks to **sheridanodell**, **ReadingFan13**, and **kelleygirl** for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own Twilight. Poor me.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 3

Everything felt foggy…But literally. Bella blinked lethargically, and for a second she wondered what had happened. All she remembered was talking to Charlie about something…school? And then nothing. She moaned, and suddenly her hand was engulfed. She snapped fully awake and looked at who held her hand, then relaxed when she saw Charlie. She wondered why he looked so stressed and worried. _What did I do now?_

"Bella, are you alright now?"

"What…ugh, my head hurts. What happened?" Charlie didn't immediately reply, since he was getting her a small paper cup. It occurred to Bella that she was in the hospital. Charlie handed her the cup, and she saw that it had a few tiny white pills in it. "What is this?" she asked, her voice becoming edged.

"It's just aspirin, that's all," Charlie said reassuringly. "For your headache." Bella nodded and then was given a cup of water. She popped the pills into her mouth and drank some of the water.

"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked Charlie.

"Oh, yeah. You fainted, but I couldn't get you to come back around. So I brought you to the hospital. The doctor did some tests, and he said that you were severely dehydrated. Bella, when was the last time you ate or drank anything?"

Bella bit her lip. "Just before I got on the plane."

"And what did you eat?"

A pause.

"Bella? What did you eat?"

Bella sighed. "Just a couple of pieces of toast and a glass of water. I wasn't very hungry."

"When was the last time you'd eaten before then?"

"Why are you suddenly my own personal dietitian?" Bella snapped. "I don't eat much. I don't feel the need to stuff myself full all the time. Fucking sue me, why don't you?"

"Bella, that was hardly necessary, and I'll thank you never to talk to me like that again," Charlie said in an icy tone, and Bella winced. Charlie sighed as he rubbed his face with one hand. "Ugh, Bella, I'm sorry. I should know better than to drill you like that. It was the policeman talking. I just ask because Carlisle said that you were really, really dehydrated, and you showed many signs of malnutrition."

Bella didn't look at him. _Why did I snap at him like that? He didn't deserve that, he was just worried. Am I really that ill-equipped to deal with my father? Let alone talking to other people. I should just be stuck in a facility._ Even immediately after the Attempt, Bella's mom had never talked about putting Bella in an institution of some sort, where professionals could try and help her get better. Bella didn't know why, but her mother seemed to insist on taking care of her, instead of letting her go somewhere and allowing Renée to live her life. God knows she deserved that, and Bella had just been keeping her from doing that.

"Bella?" Bella turned to look at Charlie, pulled out of her thoughts. "You need to eat something," Charlie said, and Bella groaned. "No arguments on this," Charlie said firmly. "I'm not going to have you fainting all over the place. You need to eat, and if I have to stay here to make sure you, do then I will."

"I don't think that'll be a problem," another voice said, jarring both Charlie and Bella with the fact that they weren't actually alone.

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie said, standing and moving to shake the doctor's hand.

"Charlie, we've met before," Dr. Cullen said in an amused voice, but he shook Charlie's hand anyway. "And I've told you before, you can call me Carlisle. So can Bella, for that matter." With that, he turned to look at her. "Hi, Bella. I've been given a record of your…dealings with others in the practice, and it says that you've been recovering from a recent suicide attempt, is that right?"

Bella nodded her head slowly, wondering how he could talk about her like she was some trinket. Something must have shown on her face, because Carlisle frowned. "Bella, I'm sorry. Did I say something to offend you?"

Bella shrugged. "No, I guess not. I mean, I only tried to commit suicide. No big deal, right?"

"Oh." That seemed to sum up Bella's thoughts exactly. "My apologies, Bella. I didn't mean to make your suicide attempt seem insignificant or less serious. It isn't, of course. I'm just trying to get some information so that I can see about doing something to help you recover, that's all. Do you forgive me?"

That struck Bella as odd. People didn't usually ask her for forgiveness; she spent most of her time wishing that she didn't feel so unforgivable for everything she put people close to her through. Granted, the number of people that were close to her wasn't very high, but still. She wondered how she could begin to beg forgiveness far more often than she wondered when people would ask her forgiveness for _anything_.

"Yeah, it's okay," she said. Carlisle smiled and nodded.

"Actually, I have an idea for that," he said, and Bella looked at him questioningly. "Emmett!" Carlisle called, and the answering yell seemed really close. "Can you come in here? I need to ask you something," was Carlisle's response.

Bella looked at Charlie, confused, and Charlie just shrugged. The door opened, and Bella's breath caught. Standing in the doorway was the largest teenager (if he was a teenager) she'd ever seen. His bright blue eyes locked onto hers, and they held eye contact far longer than was necessary. Bella felt like she could get lost in those eyes for days.

"Bella, this is Emmett," Carlisle said, making them both jump. _Emmett. _"Emmett, this is Bella."

* * *

_That girl,_ was all Emmett could think. He found her breathtaking in her beauty, but only because she seemed so…fragile. She was almost unbearably thin, and her pale skin seemed luminous in the stark hospital lights. Her brown eyes had widened when he'd walked into the room, and he'd looked into them for what seemed like forever before his uncle laughed and introduced her. _Bella._

"Bella just moved here, and she'll be in the same grade as you," Carlisle continued. "But, well…Bella is a bit…different." Bella's eyes flashed, and Emmett started.

"You can tell him what's wrong with me, you know," she said in a voice with jagged edges. "I'm sure he won't care once you tell him I'm some psycho who decided that taking 18,000 milligrams of Percocet was a great idea."

Emmett frowned. _So that's why she's so thin._ He lived with his uncle during the school year, since his parents liked to travel and he wanted to actually go to school. When the summer rolled around, his parents would send him a plane ticket to wherever they happened to be at the time, and he'd fly out and they'd spend a few months traveling anywhere on a whim.

Living with his uncle for a majority of each year had taught him a few things about various…conditions, for lack of a better term. He knew that people who were suicidal usually suffered from depression, which generally included loss of appetite and lack of interest in any sort of activity. He wanted to pity Bella, but he was fairly sure, judging from Bella's reaction just now, that that wouldn't go over too well. So he decided that maybe she'd rather he treat her like he'd treat anyone else. If he had just gone through something like that, he wouldn't want people to walk on eggshells and make a big deal after it was over and done with.

"Well, I care," he said. "Because taking that much Percocet is a stupid idea."

"Emmett!" Carlisle said warningly.

"Well, it's the truth," Emmett said with a shrug. "You didn't happen to dry and drown those in some hard liquor, did you?"

"Emmett, stop that!" Carlisle snapped, making Emmett jump. Carlisle rarely raised his voice, and even more rarely did he do it to Emmett. "Bella doesn't need that sort of aggravation right now, and I know you know better than to antagonize someone who's recovering from a suicide attempt."

Emmett started to apologize when Bella said, "No, Dr. Cullen. That's alright. Tell me, oh wise one, would taking alcohol and medication really have gotten the job done?"

"Bella, I'm going to do routine searches of the house," Charlie said.

"You may want to, especially if this girl's as quick a learner as she seems," Emmett replied, and Bella's eyes flashed at him. Something else in her expression made Emmett smirk: a tiny smile.

"Emmett, I won't tell you again," Carlisle said. "Watch your mouth. I was actually going to ask you if you would be willing to help Bella get accustomed to Forks High School. Emmett's a senior this year," he added, turning to Bella. "But he's only got one class left to take, so the rest of his day is free."

"So, you want me to be a babysitter?" Emmett asked in a tone of mild disbelief. "I'm sorry, Carlisle, but I think Bella here has better things to do than spend all day with me."

"I wouldn't mind if you wouldn't mind," Bella said quickly, and Emmett looked at her. They locked eyes for a while longer before Emmett finally nodded.

"If you don't have any school supplies or anything, I can take you," he offered, and Bella looked at Charlie before looking back at Emmett and nodding. "Alright then," Emmett said, clapping his hands together. "Carlisle, will you let me know when she's being released?"

"That would actually be today," Carlisle replied, looking from Emmett to Bella and back distrustfully. "But Bella may want to just go home and rest, try and find something to get more energy in her system."

"I'll take her to eat somewhere," Emmett said with a shrug. "I don't really care. And if she's willing to go, we can leave right now. Bella? You up for it?" he addressed this last part to the girl in question, and she nodded.

"I just need to get changed, and then we can go." Emmett nodded his agreement and Bella got out of the bed with Charlie's help and walked into the bathroom, looking a bit more lively.

After the door had closed, Carlisle's hand clamped around Emmett's arm like a vice, and Emmett felt a mild sense of trepidation. He'd been going mostly on a second-by-second thing with Bella, but he was afraid Carlisle might think he had gone too far. And if Carlisle said that Emmett had, then Emmett wouldn't be able to help Bella recover, which is what Carlisle, Charlie, Bella, and Emmett all wanted.

"You'd better be careful," Carlisle said the second he'd closed the door behind them in the hallway. "I see what you're doing, acting like nothing happened, or that it wasn't important. And I also saw that Bella responded well to that. So…we can try things your way. I tried to be a bit flippant like you did, and she got angry with me. Maybe it's just the fact that you two are so similar in age, but…Anyway. You can treat Bella like a normal person, and that's probably what she wants. But don't you forget that Bella is _not_ normal, not yet."

Carlisle's voice had gotten darker somehow. "Regardless of how she acts now, her mind is still reeling, and people who suffer from depression may not have the energy or the will to do many things, but they do have the will, the skill, and every means to do one thing: hide."

Emmett nodded in understanding just as Bella opened the door. "Are you ready to go, then?" Emmett said, and Bella nodded. The two of them waited until Carlisle nodded and went into talk with Charlie before Emmett held out an arm for Bella, which she ignored as she began walking towards the exit. Amused, Emmett followed. _Bella._

* * *

**A/N:** I think this whole Emmett/Bella dynamic will be fun. Only time will tell, eh? ;P Anyway, drop me a review, let me know what you think. Please? :D

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	4. Chapter 4

Thanks to **neneski** and **kelleygirl **for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: **I own Twilight. LOL jk, please don't sue me.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 4

They got to the store with minimal difficulty and minimal talking. But it wasn't an uncomfortable silence; neither of them had anything of particular importance to say at the moment. "So, what do you need?" Emmett asked.

"Notebooks, looseleaf paper, pens, pencils, probably a calculator…Anything and everything," Bella replied. Emmett nodded and the two of them walked down the aisles, grabbing things as they found them. "Will I need highlighters?" Bella asked, probably more to herself than Emmett.

"Probably, if you want to take better notes," Emmett answered anyway, and smirked when Bella cut him a sideways look. "What? I'm being helpful."

"I appreciate it, really," Bella said in a pleasant voice that was also full of sarcasm.

"Well, I mean, if you don't need my help, I can go," Emmett said nonchalantly, turning around.

"No! Um…I do need your help." _I know that already, Bella,_ Emmett thought, amused. "I just…Sarcasm is kind of my thing. It makes it easier to deal with people. I never got much practice, so…Sometimes people don't know when to take me seriously or not."

"Because you're such a master?" Emmett replied. "Truly, Bella, your complete mastery of sarcasm is a sight to behold. It's just so confusing, really."

Bella frowned at him and huffed. Emmett laughed. "Okay, you've had your fun. Now can we get this over and done with?"

"What, you don't like spending time with me?" Emmett asked. "We've only been here for a few minutes."

"I need to keep myself occupied," Bella said. "Otherwise…" she bit her lip as she trailed off, and Emmett realized she was being serious.

"Otherwise?" When Bella didn't respond, Emmett prodded. "Otherwise what?"

"Otherwise I get caught up in my own thoughts," Bella said in a low voice. "And the last time that happened, I ended up having to get shipped here to Forks. I have a really bad guilt complex, and the best conclusion my mind jumps to if I think about anything I've done for too long is 'Oh, well, since I'm such a waste of space, I may as well end it all, so that no one will have to deal with me anymore. Including myself.' What a great idea, right?" Her voice was bitter.

Emmett frowned. "But Bella, you aren't a waste of space. You were put on this planet for a reason; everyone is. No one is a waste of space. Well, except for the sociopaths, but that isn't anyone's fault."

"Emmett, it's gonna take more than pretty words to convince me," Bella said bluntly. "Trust me, people have tried to talk me out of this before, and they haven't succeeded yet."

"Well, if you're utterly convinced, then no one would be able to succeed in trying to get you to think otherwise," Emmett said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "How about this: you think for yourself, and use that brain to think about the good things you can do, and I won't use 'pretty words' to talk to you. Deal?"

* * *

_If only it was that simple,_ Bella thought as she pondered Emmett's offer. _But maybe…Maybe it can be that simple? I…I don't know if I can do that. All I've ever seen in myself is failure. I don't have any good traits because I never thought it was worth it to try and find something I was good at. I don't have any talents._

"If you've never looked for them, how would you know you don't have them? Talents, that is." Bella jumped; apparently she's said something aloud. "Just because you haven't found a talent doesn't mean it doesn't exist."

"You're using pretty words again," Bella said reprimandingly. Emmett shrugged.

"I may as well not talk, then."

"No, you can talk," Bella said, mildly exasperated. But in truth…_I like talking to him far too much to ever truly be anything other than mildly irritated with him._ Talking to him made Bella feel…normal. Like she could have friends her age, like she did fit in somewhere. _And I can have this with other people, too,_ she realized. _All I'd have to do is talk to them._

She looked up to find Emmett grinning at her. "What?" she asked.

"We're done with shopping," Emmett said, holding up a full basket. "So it looks like I'm taking you to your place?"

"You can come with me," Bella blurted out before she could stop herself. "I mean, if…if you want to." _Stupid, stupid, stupid, the way you tripped over that and totally acted like a spaz, he couldn't want to –_

"Sure," Emmett replied, and Bella blinked in shock.

"Oh, um. Okay." She had to work to keep from jumping up in the air in happiness, but she figured she could give Emmett a smile.

* * *

_God, when she smiles, her entire being lights up,_ Emmett thought as he stared at Bella. "You should smile more often," he managed to say, and apparently that was wrong, since Bella closed back down again. She was blushing, though. So maybe…

"I mean, you've got a beautiful smile." _Ugh, I can't believe I'm telling her this._ It's true that making sappy comments weren't really Emmett's thing, but if it got Bella to smile again…And there it was. It was tinier than before, but it was there. Emmett grinned again, and finally Bella matched his grin with her own. "There," he said, satisfied. "Now come on, we'll get this stuff to your house."

"You'll have to give me directions," Emmett added as they walked to his new Jeep. "I've only been to your house once, with Carlisle. That was the most boring day in my existence to date." Carlisle and Charlie had talked about anything and nothing all at the same time. But somehow, they managed to talk for well over seven hours.

"Sure…Um, okay," Bella said haltingly, and Emmett looked at her, suddenly cautious.

"Bella, are you feeling okay?" he asked slowly, and Bella looked at him before her eyes cleared, and she rolled them as she nodded.

"Yeah, Emmett, I'm fine." Her voice was still weak.

"Well, it's a good thing we haven't eaten yet," Emmett said. "I know just the place to take you to."

They pulled into the parking lot of the diner and Emmett held the door open for Bella, following her inside.

"Bella, it's so good to see you okay," the waitress said, descending for a hug before Emmett or Bella could react. Emmett could see Bella tense all over even though he was standing behind her. He made to get the waitress to let go, but then Bella's arms slowly came up and returned the hug. Emmett relaxed.

"Thank you," came Bella's voice. "I'm sorry that I worried you, I guess."

"Oh, dear, I'm sorry," the waitress said suddenly, letting Bella go. "You must not remember me all that well. I was the one who made you those pancake stacks when you were little and Charlie would bring you here for breakfast. You always wanted them drowned in syrup, and you always got it all over your face before you were done."

"Well, that's flattering," Emmett heard Bella mutter, and laughed slightly. He shrugged when Bella spun around to pin him with a glare. "You think it's funny?" she asked in a deadly sort of voice, and Emmett sobered.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," he replied. "That's something that a lot of kids do. I did it myself. I was more partial to waffles than to pancakes, but the syrup still got everywhere, since I poured it in every square." He grinned and Bella rolled her eyes again. Emmett was quickly coming to learn that that meant that Bella wasn't really irritated, she was just pretending to be.

They moved to a table that the waitress led them to, and pored over the menus. "Everything looks a bit…filling," Bella said. "What are you gonna get?"

"They do breakfast all day, and talking about waffles made me want some," Emmett replied. "So waffles it is."

Bella sighed and said, "Well if you're getting breakfast, then so am I." Emmett laughed. "What's so funny?"

"How irritated you seem to get all the time," Emmett responded. "It's just funny to see you get all worked up over things that don't really require that much of a reaction."

"So things I think are important aren't really that important?" Bella asked, and Emmett gulped, suddenly nervous.

"Uh, that isn't exactly what I meant to say…"

"No, but that's what you said, right?" Bella continued, and Emmett didn't answer. "Nothing that I think is important is actually important." Emmett waited for the blowup, or for her to really lay into him. "Then I guess this isn't, either," she said with a sigh and slumped back in her seat. Emmett raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, it's okay to be mad at me," he said, thinking, _What am I doing? She isn't mad at me – at least, I don't _think_ she's mad at me – and I'm trying to get her to be mad at me? What is wrong with me?_ "I mean, that was a total foot-in-mouth moment."

"Right," Bella replied. "So it isn't like you said it on purpose. Would you like to try and elaborate on what you said, though? Maybe take your foot out of your mouth?"

Emmett gulped; this was really unsettling, talking to her about things that were serious. He never knew what to expect. "Uh, what I meant was that…things like the waitress reminiscing about something embarrassing. That's something that all parents do." He waited as the waitress brought them their food, then continued after she'd left. "There wasn't a need to act horribly uncomfortable or humiliated or anything like that."

"Who said I was anything other than mildly embarrassed?" Bella asked, and Emmett once again found himself at a loss. "I was suicidal, Emmett, I'm not three years old. I don't need to be rehabilitated. Just helped. If you're going to help me with kid gloves on, then…I don't want your help."

Emmett knew she was serious this time. "Bella, I really don't have much of a choice than to play cautious," he said. "I'd treat you normally, but the fact is…You aren't." Bella's entire face hardened, and Emmett quickly said, "Not yet you aren't. But until you are, I can't just treat you like I would anyone else."

"Take me home, Emmett."

"What?"

"Take. Me. Home." Bella punctuated each word with a breath. "Since you obviously can't treat me like a normal person who's capable of functioning like a normal person, wait on me hand and foot. Since I can't do anything for myself because I'm so _abnormal_." She spat out the last word and Emmett felt a bad taste in the back of his throat.

"Bella, that isn't what I meant."

"No, but you had a chance to get yourself out of the hole you dug, and then dug yourself in deeper. So take me home. I'd like to be by myself for right now." Emmett looked down at his plate; the food lying there suddenly made him want to throw up.

He signaled for the check, and the waitress came over and said, "This one's on the house, guys."

"Great," Bella said. "More abnormal behavior for the abnormal girl." She stood up and walked quickly out of the diner.

"What happened?" the waitress asked Emmett, confused.

"I messed up," Emmett replied, sighing as he too left the diner to find Bella sitting in the passenger seat of his Jeep. _I did mess up, didn't I,_ he thought. He didn't know how badly, but he knew that he had.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh boy...C'mon guys, I told you this was gonna be angsty. Anyway, do you think Emmett was wrong to tell her what he did? Or do you think Bella overreacted and should've acted differently? I know what I think - since that's what's written - but I want to know what you all think. So review and let me know, yeah?

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	5. Chapter 5

Thanks to **emmacullen817** and **kelleygirl **for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** /checks Nope, don't own it. Check your copyright infringement claims at the door, because SMeyer said fanfiction was okay by her! :D

**Obscurity**

Chapter 5

"When do you want me to come and get you?" Emmett asked.

"I don't really know, Emmett. I'll call you and let you know, okay? Just…leave me alone for right now, okay? I have to try and stop 'overreacting.'" Bella heard Emmett sigh, and she shook her head and got out of his Jeep.

"Bella!"

"What is it, Emmett?" He was making it really hard to get away from him…and harder to stay mad at him, as well.

"You don't have my phone number, do you?" Bella blinked, then shook her head, trying and not quite succeeding at ignoring Emmett's grin as he scribbled it down on a scrap of paper and handed it to her. "Call me soon…please?"

Bella was extremely pleased (and slightly embarrassed) that Emmett seemed to want to keep talking to her so badly. Before she could think, a nasty-sounding voice in her head said, _He probably just wants to keep tabs on you because he's worried about how "not normal" you are._ That thought immediately dispelled any warm affection Bella felt for Emmett at that moment, and she replied, "I'll call you when I call you. See you later." Turning, she walked into the house without another word.

* * *

_I didn't think I'd fucked up that badly,_ Emmett thought as he drove away from Bella's house. But she seemed to be totally over him, all because of something he'd said. _Something that was the truth,_ he thought to himself, but at the same time, he realized that the truth probably wasn't what Bella had wanted to hear right at that moment. Not when she'd blown off his uncle and her father, who were doing the exact same thing.

Emmett was supposed to have been the escape, the fun time. "Guess that went down the tubes," he muttered to himself as he pulled back into the hospital parking lot. He found Carlisle relatively quickly, since he was just finishing his shift and was preparing to leave. Emmett quickly told Carlisle what happened, and was given a reaction he didn't entirely expect.

"I should've known better? Carlisle, _you_ were the one who told me not to forget that she isn't normal!"

"Yes, but I didn't tell you to tell _her_ how not normal she is. That was a lapse in your judgment that I am not accountable for," Carlisle responded as they both got into Emmett's Jeep and Emmett drove them home.

Emmett wanted to reply, but he had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to win with his uncle. _Ugh, what the hell ever._ He'd just have to wait until Bella called him to see if he could salvage something.

* * *

It was a week before Bella called. Emmett practically broke his phone in his rush to answer. "Bella."

"Hi, Emmett. Look, can we talk about what happened last week?"

Emmett's first instinct was to make some sort of jibe about it. But then he thought that maybe she wouldn't appreciate that. And then he remembered what had happened last week. So he made a jibe. "It sure took you long enough to get around to wanting to 'talk about it.'"

He grinned when Bella gave a small giggle. "I suppose I did. Do you want to come over to my house? I know you're a bit late in accepting the invitation and actually _entering _my house, but…the invitation is still there, if you want it."

"I'll be over in a little while," Emmett said, then hurriedly said a good-bye before rushing for his keys.

* * *

Bella had used that entire week to come to terms with what Emmett had told her and how she felt about it. The more she thought about it, the firmer her conviction that she liked Emmett far too much to stay away from him stood. She'd only known him for about eight days, and had only spent a bit of one of those days with him, but…he made her feel like she could be accepted.

She wasn't willing to risk acceptance and _more_ ostracism because Emmett had hurt her feelings with the truth. Bella wasn't stupid; like she'd told Emmett, she'd been suicidal. She wasn't a child. She knew that what he had told her was the truth, even if it was a truth she didn't like to accept. But she didn't have to accept that it was inevitable, which is what the voice in her head had been telling her Emmett thought of her.

This was just as much for her as it was for him.

When he pulled up in her driveway and knocked on the door, Bella calmly walked to the door and opened it only to swept up into a massive hug by the massive teen standing on her doorstep.

"Whoa, Emmett, I don't know if we've known each other long enough for this kind of affection," Bella said jokingly, and Emmett laughed before he set her down and they moved to sit in Bella's living room. "Charlie's out for the day; he's out fishing," Bella said by way of explanation for the silent house, and Emmett nodded.

"Okay, Bella, what do you want to talk about first?" Emmett said as he sat down next to her, then turned to face her. Even though he scrunched himself up, he was still a little big for her couch.

"First, I'd like to talk about what just happened when I opened the door, I guess," Bella said. "I did enjoy the affection, I really did. But I have to wonder, since I seem to keep sabotaging my thoughts…Why are you so affectionate with me? Is it because you really feel that way, or because you feel like you have to act that way because of my 'delicate condition?'"

Emmett thought for a minute, his lips pursed as he tapped on them, then said, "It's because I…" He stopped and started again. "For some reason, I feel like I have some sort of connection to you. I can't describe it, but…I want to be near you. Just to hang out. This past week was nerve-wracking, to be honest."

_One worry down,_ Bella thought. "Okay, um…At the diner, what you said. I want you to explain what you meant, really. And I won't interrupt you this time, I promise."

* * *

_What is she playing at? _Emmett wondered. The last time she'd tried to give him a chance to explain himself, they hadn't talked to each other for a week. He wasn't exactly looking to do that again. But she said she'd let him speak, so…It couldn't hurt, right? So he said his thoughts as they formed.

"What I meant when I said you weren't normal is that, right now, you aren't. You tried to commit suicide recently, Bella. I…I don't know what kind of anguish you must have been feeling to feel like you had to kill yourself to get away from it, but I do know that that kind of pain or…whatever it is you went through…doesn't go away quickly."

Bella nodded. "It doesn't; I still deal with it every day. As a matter of fact, it's what kept me from talking to you again for so long. I've been battling with myself all week, and I finally figured out that the answers I need I had to get from you, not myself. Because I can't trust myself to be rational about it."

"I can understand why, a little," Emmett replied. "Anyway, I did mean what I said about wanting to help you get better. For your own sake. You shouldn't have to go through such misery. We're teenagers. We're supposed to be having fun, living our lives like there's no tomorrow. For you, there almost was no tomorrow. What I was trying to tell you was that I wanted to help you. And until you move past whatever you're going through, I can't just pretend it didn't happen. It wouldn't be fair, and I don't think it would help. I'm no professional, though."

"Emmett, I don't mean to interrupt, even though I said I wouldn't, but all I'm hearing is that you feel like you need to treat me like a child until I'm what you call 'normal,'" Bella said. "How do you know what's normal?"

"I'll know you're normal when you stop overanalyzing everything," Emmett said gently. That made Bella stop, and Emmett continued. "When you can learn to take me seriously at times and take what I say at face value when it's meant to be taken at face value, then I'll know you're normal." He laughed. "If you're normal enough to interact with me, you'll be normal enough to interact with just about anyone."

His face turned serious as he said, "I meant what I said when I wanted to help you, Bella. But if you don't want me to be careful, then you have to lay down rules of some sort. Game rules, so that I know how to help you get better. Regardless of what you or my uncle or your dad thinks, you know how best to fix yourself, because you're the only one who knows how you got to where you are…if that made any sense at all."

* * *

"It did, Emmett," Bella said reassuringly, and it did. Emmett was giving her control of how she would get better, like she'd promised herself. And what Emmett had said was right; she knew how to get there. She knew how her mind worked, and what mental paths not to go down.

_That didn't stop you from taking those same paths before,_ the voice said, and Bella squashed it until it was quiet.

_That's because I didn't have someone behind me who was willing to let me do it for myself,_ Bella told the voice, and that was the hugest difference between Emmett and Carlisle and Charlie. Carlisle and Charlie wanted her to get better, but they thought they knew how to do it. Emmett wanted her to get better, but he was willing to let her do the recovery on her own time. If she was rushed into something, then she'd regress further; she knew that about herself.

_I can get better_, she thought. _I _will _get better._ She smiled at Emmett, who smiled back, and they began to lay down some "game rules."

* * *

**A/N: **Just barely beat the one day past deadline mark, ahahaha. Anyway, my apologies for the lateness of this, and I do want to thank those people who have reviewed thus far. They each have shoutouts at the beginning of every chapter, but I just wanted to say thank you again. This is the first time I've tried to write a multi-chaptered angst!fic. I'm pretty good at oneshots, though. :"3

Anyway (again), look, they made up! Awhh, *insert massive crowd sigh here* I think there may be only a few chapters left (I know, I know; I said this'd be over pretty quickly), but I'm not making any concrete predictions, since every time I do, my stories bite me in the aft end. Drop me a review, you awesome people. I want to know if you think I made their reconciliation realistic or not.

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	6. Chapter 6

Thanks to **EverlastingMuse**, **EMMETTSMYMAINMAN92482**, and **kelleygirl** for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** Do I own Twilight? /checksbirthcertificate Well, it appears that my name isn't Stephenie Meyer, so that's a big fat no. Blast.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 6

Emmett had been thinking a lot about how he could help Bella get better. Since they'd laid down their rules a few months prior, they'd only gotten closer. And once the school year had started up again, Bella had been able to make friends with the sort-of clique that Emmett hung around with.

Bella really seemed to fit in with Emmett's group of friends, and words couldn't describe how happy that made him. Rosalie seemed to like to fight with Bella a lot, but there was rarely any actual venom displayed except the disastrous first meeting. Alice had quickly become Bella's best-friend-slash-sister, and spent as much time at Bella's house as Emmett did.

Jasper, being rather close with Alice, became kind of close with Bella as well, but he always seemed to act a bit…off around her. And Edward…Edward was the only one whose reaction to Bella Emmett _didn't_ like. Edward had actually talked to Emmett soon after he'd introduced Bella, saying how he felt strangely attracted to her. "Not strangely attracted as in strange to be attracted," Edward had attempted to explain, "But strange in how much I'm attracted to her."

Emmett didn't really like that at all. But Bella had shown interest in Edward as well, and if she wanted to pursue something with him, then, well, Emmett wouldn't stand in the way.

_I need to talk to her about this. Stop being such a fucking pansy about it_, he thought, and decided that he'd do that after school today. Maybe he'd even ask her to Homecoming; he knew she'd love to go – she talked about it with Alice a lot – and he'd love to be the one to take her. Maybe he could see if his own attraction to her was unnoticed or unrequited.

"Bella," he said as the final bell for the day rang, "I'd like to talk to you about something today, after football practice. Can I come to your house?"

"Sure, Emmett, you know you don't have to ask," Bella said, sounding slightly confused. Emmett smiled at her before running to the gym locker room to change into his uniform.

_I really hope this is a good idea,_ he thought. _Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get some other advice. I won't talk to Edward – asshole's my competition. I could talk to Jasper, maybe. Or Alice. Probably Alice; she'd know how Bella would react better than anyone._ Except him, but he didn't let himself think that. If he got too overconfident, he'd mess up. Again.

* * *

"Bella, can I talk to you?" Bella started as she closed her locker door to find Edward standing there.

"Edward, you startled me. I didn't hear you," she replied.

"I'm sorry," Edward said quickly. "I'm not a very noisy person out of habit. Anyway, can I? Talk to you?"

"Oh, uh…sure, I-I guess," Bella tried hard not to let her stutter become more pronounced than that. Edward made her…uneasy, for some reason. She'd talked to Alice about her feelings toward him, only to have her squeal and claim that Bella had a crush.

She'd thought about that for a while; she'd thought she had a crush on Emmett. Or maybe something more…she really didn't know. But she didn't think someone could have more than one crush at the same time.

Everything about Emmett was comfortable, and he wasn't an ugly person, inside or out. But Edward…he captivated Bella. The texture of his hair, the color of his eyes, the smell of him when they hugged, even the sound of his voice sent tiny shivers down Bella's spine.

She may really like Emmett, and maybe she was (extremely) attracted to Emmett, but something about Edward just…made her forget.

"Uh, I'm not really sure how to say this, so I'm just going to say it," Edward said. _Oh God, he's going to tell me something horrible, and I'm going to break down in tears or hysterical laughter, one or the other, and he'll think I'm a freak, and –_

"I really like you, Bella," Edward said bluntly, and Bella blinked, her mental train of thought rapidly derailed. "And, uh…I'd really like to take you to the Homecoming dance, if…if you're interested." _Where do I sign up?_ Bella immediately thought, but then, the thought of Emmett and what he had wanted to talk to her about occurred to her. _He doesn't want to ask me to Homecoming…does he?_

What would she do? Would she go with Emmett, who she really liked and felt comfortable with, or Edward, who she really, _really_ liked and wanted to become more comfortable with? What would Emmett want her to do?

She bit her lip as her mind ran back and forth between two points on a line.

_Emmett and Edward…_

_Emmett and Edward…_

_Emmett and Edward…_

* * *

Emmett grinned when he saw Bella waiting in the parking lot by his Jeep, and jogged over to her, exhilarated from football practice. "Hey, were you waiting long?" he asked. Bella seemed distracted as she shook her head, and Emmett's grin faded slightly. "Oh, okay. Well, I guess we'll talk here, then."

He took a second to gather his thoughts, and then said, "I want to ask you about Edward. I just want to know if you're interested in him…you know, as a friend. Since I've seen the looks he gives you, and…I just was wondering if you felt the same way."

Bella looked at him with shock in her eyes, and something else that looked weirdly like…guilt? "Bella, do you like him?" Emmett asked. Bella looked almost afraid as she nodded her head. Emmett tried to keep a cheery smile, even as he felt his good mood vanish. "Well, that's…that's good, then, right? I mean, you like him, and he likes you. If you're lucky, he may even ask you to Homecoming."

Bella refused to look at him, and Emmett's heart sank from his stomach into his shoes. "He…he did, huh? Well…you should go with him. I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time. Maybe I'll see you there?" _Stupid, stupid, stupid dumbass, you should've asked her before you went to practice, or you should've gotten advice from Alice like you said you were going to, and now you've made it all awkward and sad and you're such a fucking _idiot –

"Emmett, um…he-he did ask me," Bella began, and Emmett shook his head.

"There's no need to explain, Bella, really," he said reassuringly, even though that was the last thing he felt like doing at the moment. "I mean, I did ask how you felt about him. I'm glad that you were honest with me, and you'll have a great time with him at Homecoming, I know it. Just save me a dance, would you?"

His heart hurt too much to listen to anything Bella said as he drove her home. It sounded like she was just trying to get his attention, but he wasn't much looking to get hurt more than he already was hurting.

He pulled up to Bella's house and got out to open the door for her. Her lips moved again, and he just gave her a sad smile before getting back in his Jeep, pulling out his cell phone. He'd seen the looks Rosalie had been giving him for the past couple of weeks. Maybe she'd be able to distract him from how badly he was hurting that Bella had already chosen Edward over him and he hadn't even had a chance to get in the running.

"Hey, Rose, it's Emmett," he said as he drove away. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to Homecoming with me?"

* * *

_Well, I guess that's all the answer I needed,_ Bella thought sadly as she watched Emmett drive away. _I guess I'm going to Homecoming with Edward._

* * *

**A/N:** Oh noes, poor Emmett and Bella. D: And things were going so well! Drop me a review, and we'll see how things go with the Homecoming dance. O: On a side note, I was actually kind of stressing about getting this chapter up on time until I realized that the chapters didn't have to be that long. That was such a huge relief, you have no idea, ahahahahaha. :3

Oh, and in other news: I'm going to be out of town for a few days, so there won't be any updates until mayhap this weekend, since I also have to work. Sorry to leave you with this chapter, but hey. Now you'll have time to tell your friends! :D

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	7. Chapter 7

Thanks to **EverlastingMuse** (again, ahahahaha) for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** Still don't own Twilight. Blast.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 7

_Okay, something is definitely wrong here._ That was the thought that ran through Bella's mind as she and Edward sat at a table with Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, and Jasper, who were far too involved in each other to notice the tensions among the rest of the group. Emmett was staring hard at Edward, who was staring hard at Rosalie, who was almost _glaring_ at Bella. What Bella couldn't figure out is why there were so many glares.

"The school looks amazing," Bella commented to no one in particular, and no one responded, though they all did look around at the decorations that adorned the large cafeteria. In keeping with the theme that the freshman class had decided would be "Reach for the Stars," silver and golden streamers lined every wall and were strung about the ceiling, with silver balloons covered in gold stars and other balloons in the opposite colors hanging from random points.

The couples had all walked into the cafeteria by passing under a huge archway that had large stars hanging on the end of still more silver streamers that extended halfway to the ground. The tables were covered with black tablecloths, and the glasses and napkins all had sparkly silver lining on the rims and edges, respectively.

All the students had been instructed to wear at least one piece of clothing with a metallic effect, and Bella and Edward had decided that they would both wear a metallic top of some sort, so Edward's shirt underneath his dark jacket had a silvery sheen to it, and Bella's bodice was silver with sequined embroidery.

"Guys, what's going on with all of you?" Bella finally asked, after a few more minutes had passed in stony silence. "I thought this was supposed to be a great time."

* * *

_I'd have a great time if I was here with you,_ Emmett thought sullenly, before attempting to look less disinterested. It was hard to try and remain interested in the fact that Edward had taken Bella to Homecoming and not him, though.

"It's just because the music hasn't started yet, I guess," he replied to Bella's inquiry. "Once the music gets going, it'll get better."

"Oh, are we all going to dance and be mad at each other instead of sitting here and being mad at each other?" Bella asked in fake shock, and Emmett laughed in spite of himself.

"No, we'll just dance. We won't be mad at each other. Who said we were?" he responded, and Bella rolled her eyes. They both dropped the subject.

"Hello, students of Forks High School," a confident voice suddenly blared. "I'm DJ Xtc, and it's time to get this party started! But before we begin, the president of the freshman class would like to say something."

There was a smattering of applause as a small girl walked onto the stage and grabbed a microphone. "Thanks for coming to this year's Homecoming dance, all of you. Hopefully you like the decorations, since the freshman class worked really hard to get this all done before the dance started." There was more applause, and the president smiled tentatively. "I hope you all have a wonderful night, and near the end of the dance, we'll announce who was voted this year's Homecoming King and Queen. Stick around until then; I know you'll all want to find out who the new regents are."

With that, she signaled to the DJ, and the music started to play, the first song beginning with a heavy bassline.

* * *

Bella tried to have a good time, she really did. But it was so difficult to enjoy herself when Edward, despite telling her how much he liked her, could barely keep his eyes off of Rosalie, who was still glaring daggers at Bella, no matter how many times Bella asked her what her problem was. _I'm so not willing to put up with this stupid drama,_ she finally thought, getting truly irritated. _I'm going to find out what the issue is, and I'm going to find out now._

She beckoned to Emmett and Rosalie and dragged Edward off the dance floor, taking them to stand in a nearby hallway. "Alright," she said, placing her hands on her hips. "I know Emmett said no one was mad at each other, but the dance is almost over now, and the entire time, Emmett's been glaring at Edward. Edward's been staring at Rosalie. And Rose, you've been glaring at me for at least two and a half hours now, and I'm getting really sick of it. So we're going to stop acting like children and you all are going to tell me what the hell is the matter with all of you, and why Alice and Jasper are the only two of us who are actually having fun."

"Maybe that's because Alice and Jasper are the only two of us who are here with who they actually want to be here with," Rosalie shot back venomously, and Bella blinked, taken aback.

"You didn't want to come to the dance with Emmett?" she asked.

* * *

"You didn't want to come to the dance with me?" Emmett asked Rosalie when she didn't reply when Bella asked the same question. "If you didn't, then why did you say yes?"

"Because it was either I go with you or I go alone, and I was _not_ going to go alone," Rosalie replied finally with a sigh. "I did want to come with you, Emmett, but…"

"Don't bother to finish your explanation," Emmett replied bluntly. _Good God, did _no one_ want to come to Homecoming with me? What the hell is this?_ "Who did you want to be here with? Tell me the truth; I deserve to know, right?"

Rosalie looked around for a second, avoiding having to answer the question. When Emmett cleared his throat, Rosalie said, "I don't want to talk about this anymore. I said I wanted to come with you, and now here we are. Can we please just watch the coronation and then go home?"

Emmett sighed, then turned and walked back into the cafeteria. He stopped at the feeling of a hand on his arm, and when he turned, it was Bella. "I wish you could've come with someone who'd wanted to be here with you, Emmett," she said softly, before Edward caught her other arm and pulled her gently to the floor in front of the stage.

Emmett stared after her, wondering, _Does that mean that she knows someone who wanted to come to the dance with me? Did…did _she _want to come to the dance with me? But she said Edward had asked her!_

Suddenly, he remembered that Bella had never actually said that she was going to the dance with Edward. She'd said that he'd asked her, but never that she'd said yes. _I have to talk to Bella._

* * *

"Well, you all know how the voting for Homecoming goes, and that the members of the court made their intentions known at the beginning of the school year," the president said as the final dance song wound down. "We actually had so many applicants that we decided that we took the top three from each gender, so we now have a King and Queen, a Prince and Princess, and a Duke and Duchess."

There was a little applause at this, and the president said, "We will now start naming the members of the Homecoming Court. First, the Homecoming Duchess…is Angela Weber!" Angela, a very pretty girl with long brown hair that fell in lovely waves, walked onto the stage and curtsied so that her tiara could be placed on her head. "The Homecoming Duke…is Eric Yorkie!" Applause was loud as a dark-haired boy walked up on the other side of the stage and bowed so that a silver sash with the words "Homecoming Duke" in big flowing letters was placed around his shoulders.

"The Homecoming Prince is…Sam Uley!" A loud cheer went up as the football team's most distinctive running back ran and jumped onto the stage to receive his crown. "And his Princess…Emily Young!" A young girl looked extremely startled as she was rushed onto the stage, looking as though she might faint at standing next to the only football player as tall as their quarterback. Sam smiled at her and she actually swayed on her feet. The crowd laughed a little as Sam caught her and helped to steady her.

"And now…the Homecoming King and Queen!" There were excited whispers as people packed themselves even closer to the stage in their anxiety to know. "The Homecoming King was perhaps expected," the president said. "He's definitely one of the most handsome students that attend Forks High. The Homecoming King is…Edward Cullen!"

* * *

Emmett heard roaring all around him as he tried to talk to Bella, but paid no attention to the announcement that had been made except that it removed Edward from Bella's side. "Bella," he said urgently in her ear, "I really need to talk to you."

"After they announce the Queen, Emmett, okay?" Bella replied. Emmett sighed – _I'd care about that, but my Give-A-Damn™ is currently broken –_ but nodded and waited patiently as the president continued.

"The Homecoming Queen is probably the uncontested beauty of Forks High School, and is perhaps the only choice that would be expected…Rosalie Hale!" Emmett blinked at how quickly Rosalie was up on the stage, latching herself to Edward's arm as she was handed her own scepter and an elegantly extravagant tiara was placed on her head. As the school's fight song began to play on the speakers, Rosalie and Edward looked at each other, then directly at Emmett and Bella before Edward pressed his lips to Rosalie's, causing even louder cheers to erupt all around the cafeteria.

Emmett cursed and then looked at Bella, who looked like she wanted to cry and kill Edward and Rosalie at the same time. Emmett tugged on her arm and she walked with him willingly enough out of the cafeteria and out of the school.

"Well, looks like you got your answer, huh?" Emmett asked, his voice hard.

"Looks like you got your answer too," Bella replied, sounding angry and hurt.

"Bella," Emmett started, not sure that this is what Bella wanted to talk about right now, but needing to know, "Had I asked you to Homecoming, would you have said yes?"

* * *

Bella bit her lip as she pondered the answer to Emmett's question. He'd looked absolutely amazing tonight, and she'd been able to tell that Rosalie hadn't been happy to be at the dance with Emmett, even if it took her their extremely public display of affection to realize that Rosalie had wanted to go to the dance with Edward, not Emmett.

"With what's happened tonight, Emmett, and with how the night went, I'd have to say that I would," Bella finally replied. "We would've had fun together, and Edward and Rosalie would've been happy." She couldn't stop the bitterness from tingeing her voice.

"It isn't your fault, you know," Emmett replied, and Bella looked at him, confused. "That Edward picked Rosalie."

Bella blinked as she realized that she held no guilt or insecurity over Edward's choice. All she felt was anger at his apparent lying and irritation that tonight could've gone so much better than it had. "I know, Emmett," she said, taking his hand in both of hers. "Can you take me home now?" Emmett smiled at her and nodded, and she was struck once again by how handsome he was. He wasn't handsome like Edward, who was almost pretty. Emmett was completely masculine in his looks, and Bella was beginning to think that she preferred that, if Edward's looking like a girl pointed to the fact that he acted like a girl with his pointless lying.

Emmett seemed only too willing to let her be absorbed in her thoughts as he drove her home, and Bella was grateful for that, since it allowed her thoughts to come to one conclusion: she liked Emmett a lot more than she liked Edward. Emmett was attractive _and_ her friend _and_ honest, which gave him a huge advantage over Edward in Bella's book.

"Emmett, I wish I would've gone to the dance with you," Bella said, silently amazed at her daring.

"I wish I would've asked," Emmett replied, and Bella's entire being seemed to buzz. "I guess there's always Prom, right?"

* * *

**A/N:** I'd say it felt good to start writing again, but mayhap I shouldn't have paid no attention to this story for an entire week. It was really hard to get back on track and not have the chapter read weird, and I'm still not quite sure that I did. I guess I'll leave that to the readers to decide. Anyway, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter. There was angst, sure, but look! Look! Emmett/Bella development! Yay! :D

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	8. Chapter 8

Thanks to **EverlastingMuse** and **kelleygirl** for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** Disclaimer goes here wheeeeee~

**Obscurity**

Chapter 8

"So, Bella," Emmett said as he stood with her in front of her house. "I know that Homecoming wasn't exactly what you wanted…"

"That's alright," Bella replied with a shrug. "I'll just have to keep in mind that overly pretty boys are not for me."

Emmett tamped down hard on the excitement that shot through him along with a loud mental question: _Does she see me as overly pretty?_ He needed to stop these weird feelings he had for Bella. He wasn't stupid; he knew that he liked her a lot and, unless he was insane, she liked him, too. But what he didn't know was whether or not she _liked him_, liked him. She could just be using him as a crutch to deal with and hide if she was really hurting over Edward or not.

And if he was a crutch, if she got over Edward, she'd like get over using him as well. That wouldn't be fair to either of them. Bella deserved a chance to get more chances before she picked him, right? That is, _if _she picked him. He still wasn't quite sure that she would…or that she'd want to.

"Anyway," Bella continued, dragging Emmett out of his thoughts, "I'm really glad I at least got to spend some of the night with you." _Wait, what is she talking about? I…_

"I'm glad I could make your night not completely horrible," he managed, and Bella laughed. She looked up through her eyelashes at him as she laughed, and Emmett's breath caught as his knees threatened to buckle. He could drown in her eyes; it hit him once again how badly he wanted to.

* * *

Bella, for her part, was pleased with what was happening to her male friend. After he'd mentioned Prom, Bella had gotten the hint that Emmett may be…interested in Bella. She'd debated trying something on the way home, and when Emmett had gotten out to walk her to her door, that was all the initiative she'd needed.

_I like him a lot._ And Emmett seemed to like her, too. She decided to try and do something she'd never done before: she flirted. Just a tiny bit. She didn't really know what she was doing, but if Emmett's eyes did that widen and shine thing every time she looked up at him, she'd take that as a sign she was doing it right.

"Emmett…" she said, and heard his distracted grunt in response. She placed a hand on each of his arms and moved them slowly up to his shoulders. Emmett's eyes snapped to hers and his arms wrapped around her, dragging her to him quickly. He bent his neck, and Bella's breath started to quicken the closer his face got.

_This is really going to happen…_ Her eyelids slowly closed and she tilted her face up seconds before Emmett's lips met hers.

* * *

Stars. All Emmett could see was stars bursting directly in front of his eyes, dazzling him. They filled his vision, turning everything a blinding white. And then Bella sighed, and all Emmett could think was, _More._ He buried his hands in her hair, slowly undoing the elaborate style it had been in that night as he pressed their mouths together so hard their teeth clicked.

"Ouch," Bella muttered, and Emmett laughed somewhat breathlessly as he pulled away. "Emmett, why…"

"Why what?" Emmett whispered.

"Why did you stop?" Emmett laughed again and kissed her once more, careful this time to make sure he didn't crush her face.

It was a few minutes before either of them were willing to pull away. Bella bit her lip and looked down as Emmett rested his head in the crook of her neck and shoulder.

"What does this mean?" Bella asked eventually.

_It means that we need to be together,_ Emmett thought. _Obviously._ But he said, "It means whatever you want it to mean, Bella. I like you, you like me. And that was an amazing lip-lock we had just now." He straightened as Bella laughed and then said, "I don't know how else to say this besides bluntly: I want to be with you."

"Well, that's a good thing, since I kind of want to be with you, too," Bella replied teasingly.

"Bella, I'm serious," Emmett said. "Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes, Emmett. I do. A lot," Bella said. "Now are you going to ask me out or not?"

Emmett laughed then, tired of trying to be serious when Bella made him feel so…not serious. "Bella, will you please be my girlfriend?"

"The 'please' was a nice touch, but you didn't need it," Bella said. "I would've said yes anyway. You make me happy; if I get to be happy _and_ we get to kiss like that more often, how could I possibly say no?"

"Good," Emmett replied with a grin. "Then I'm taking you to a movie. Maybe next weekend?"

"Make it a good one," Bella said. "Otherwise we may have to rethink this whole rearrangement."

"You aren't much for misfires, are you?" Emmett asked with a laugh.

"Nope. You've got this date, and if it goes well, then we can continue dating."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Are you going to come up with a checklist that you'll carry around on a clipboard?"

"Maybe I will; it isn't a bad idea," Bella said thoughtfully, tapping her chin. "Nice clothes? Check. Reservations? Check. Nice restaurant? Check. Gentleman? Ch –"

Emmett ducked his head and pecked her on the lips. "Stop," he said. "If you go through your whole list now, how are you gonna make me sweat on the date?"

* * *

_Oh, Emmett, you _walked _into that one_, Bella thought with a smile. The kiss had effectively turned her world sideways, and now talking about a date with Emmett was making her weirdly giddy; she was excited. But now she had to deliver the perfect response to Emmett's (possibly) innocent question.

She placed a hand on the back of his head to move it so she could whisper into his ear. "I'm sure I can think of _some _way to make you sweat." She could hear him gulp, and stepped away from him to walk inside. "Good night, Emmett."

"Good…g'night, Bella."

* * *

**A/N:** Man, I think their banter almost became stupid near the end, there. ._.

Yay for not meeting dealines (again!) wooooot. Now I'm off to type up another chapter and then upload that one, too! Yayyyyy double updates. I tried to make this chapter as IC with the rest of my story as possible, but the way I see it, Bella's got to be a little tired of constantly second-guessing herself, and Emmett's bound to get bored with always showing so much restraint. Eh. I'm just rambling, I guess. Review and let me know what you think, yeah? :D /probablymessedthewholethingup

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	9. Chapter 9

Thanks to **EverlastingMuse** and **kelleygirl** for reviewing.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Twilight, almost nothing would be like it currently is according to Ms. Meyer. But it's hers, and it always will be unless she sells the rights or something like that. Which, even if she did, she'd never sell to me, because she has no idea who I am. Satisfied?

**Obscurity**

Chapter 9

Bella and Emmett both spent the next few days in a haze, but for Bella, this haze was different than the one she'd been in immediately after The Attempt. This haze was pleasant…so pleasant she almost didn't want to leave it at all. If she could just stay in this fog that Emmett had put her in (which was ever-so-nice of him), then she would be happy.

She blinked as she looked down at her phone and saw it was ringing. _Mom?_ Renée's name and number were showing up on Bella's phone screen. Wondering why her mother was calling her (and why they hadn't called each other before now), Bella hit the SEND key and said, "Hello?"

"_Bella?_"

"Hi, mom."

"_Hi, baby. How are you doing?_"

"I'm doing…great, actually." And she was. Bella suddenly realized that she'd missed the sound of her mother's voice, but she'd been so caught up in Emmett and trying to learn to function – and largely succeeding at recovering – that she hadn't noticed that something was missing. "It's good to talk to you, Mom."

"_It's so good to talk to you, too, Bella. Your father's been giving me little updates now and again, but I finally figured I'd skip the middleman and talk to you myself. So you're doing okay?_"

"Yeah," Bella replied, wondering what Charlie had told his ex-wife. "What has Charlie been telling you?"

"_Oh, just how you're doing in school and about some of the friends you made. He mentioned one specifically that he seemed to think was cause for concern. I think he said his name was Emmett?_"

_Emmett…_Bella sighed softly, forgetting momentarily that she was on the phone. She was quickly reminded, however, when her mother squealed loudly into the phone. "_Oh my gosh, Bella, tell me all about him! Is he cute? I bet he's cute. Are you dating him? Ohhhh, Bella!_"

Bella giggled in spite of herself; her mother's excitement was contagious. "Yeah, Mom, he's really cute. He's tall, and he's got dark hair and the prettiest blue eyes. And he's got the cutest dimples that show up whenever he smiles, and…oh, Mom, he's _so_ cute. I really like him."

Renée squealed again, and Bella could hear clapping. "_Bella, I'm so excited! Okay, so, are you dating him?_"

Bella answered this question in the affirmative, and her phone's speakers almost exploded with sound. "Mom, calm down," Bella said with another laugh. "You'll wake up Charlie."

"_Oh, I'm sorry, baby. I'm just so…_" She squealed again, and Bella sighed.

"I know, Mom. It makes me want to squeal a lot, too. But I want to know how you're doing. How are you?"

"_I'm doing alright, baby. I quit my job at the mall._"

"You did?" Bella knew that that meant that her mother wouldn't be working into the early hours of the morning for four days of the week anymore. "Why, did something happen?"

"_No, nothing happened. I just got tired of working so late so often. And I got promoted at the restaurant, I now bartend and wait tables when I can, so I get more pay for that, plus an increased cut of the tips. Working at the mall just wasn't necessary anymore._"

"That's so awesome, Mom, congratulations," Bella said, smiling. She truly was happy for Renée. It was just as Bella had thought; once she'd left, her mother had been able to blossom without the added stress of looking after Bella. "I'm really happy for you. They didn't extend your hours with the salon or the housekeeping, did they? They didn't add you for any more time or days anywhere?"

"_Nope, everything else is still the same. It's such a relief, knowing I'll eventually be able to quit my other jobs, too. I've been talking to the owner of the restaurant and he said he's going to be looking for a new manager soon._"

"Mom, that's wonderful. But hey, have _you_ met any cute guys?" At this question, her mom fell silent. Bella's question had been teasing, but now she became serious. "Mom, did…did you actually meet someone?"

"_Well…his name is Phil._"

Bella squealed before clapping a hand over her mouth. "Tell me about him, Mom! Right now! I need details!"

"_I'd love to, baby, but I have to go. I conveniently forgot in the joy of talking to you that my phone has a very low battery, so I have to charge it. And you know what they say about using your phone while it's charging._"

"What, don't do it or you'll electrocute your face off?"

"_Right-o. I'll call you again soon, though. Oh, Bella, it was so good talking to you. I've missed you so much._"

Bella bit her lip as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. "I've missed you too, Mom. I'll talk to you later. Expect to tell me more about this Phil guy, too."

Her mother laughed and bade her goodbye, and Bella hung up the phone before setting it on her bedside table. _Mom met a guy…_ Should Bella be upset? She didn't really remember much of the divorce Renée and Charlie had gone through. Should she feel betrayed on Charlie's behalf? Did Charlie even know?

Bella decided not to let it worry her. If Renée wanted Charlie to know, she'd have told him when Charlie had been giving her one of his "updates." Bella wondered about that, too, but decided not to worry about that, either. Her parents were allowed to be concerned, right?

She laid down in her bed and quickly fell asleep, thoughts of a happy Renée and Emmett filling her mind.

* * *

"Bye," Emmett said curtly, cursing as he hung up the phone. _Why is she coming down here? She knew this wasn't going to be able to work out when she moved to Alaska. We'd agreed to try, but she never returned my calls, never sent an email, never mailed a letter. How can she be angry that I want to end this when she ended it by moving to Alaska and leaving me behind?_

This was most definitely not a good thing, Emmett decided as he ran his hands through his hair. If she came down and made problems for Bella…Emmett didn't know what would happen. He had to tell Bella…but what would he say? Talking to Bella about helping her get better was one thing; telling her about his ex-girlfriend-who-wasn't-technically-an-ex-since-she-wouldn't-agree-to-break-up-and-was-now-coming-to-Forks-to-make-things-more-difficult-than-they-needed-to-be was another matter entirely.

* * *

**A/N:** Awhh, I'd missed Renée. Also: oooooh, who's coming? Alaska should be a pretty big hint, but then again, mayhap I'll make it someone else entirely just to mess with you. I'm a big fan of doing that sometimes, you know. Guess you'll just have to wait and see. Also, huzzah for churning out two chapters in an hour and a half, oh yeah. /madskillzihazthem

Review, please. :D

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	10. Chapter 10

Thanks to **EverlastingMuse**, **kelleygirl**_, _and **Krystal** for reviewing.

**Disclaimer: **I. Do. Not. Own. Twilight. I don't how much clearer I can make it.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 10

Whether or not he wanted to, Emmett knew that he owed it to Bella to tell her. He didn't want to hide this and possibly lose her. That was the reason he'd called her that weekend and told her that he needed to talk to her about something important. She'd agreed, and he drove to her house to find that she was home alone once again. Apparently, Charlie went fishing a lot.

"What's the problem, Emmett?" Bella asked him as they sat on her couch. "You sounded like you were really worried or mad about something."

"I am," Emmett replied. "See, before I met you, around the beginning of summer, I was going out with a girl named Irina."

"Going…going out," Bella said slowly. "And…you were planning to tell me this because…?"

"Well, she moved to Alaska with her sisters. But we never 'broke up,' even though we haven't spoken to each other in months. She left all of Washington behind…including me."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Emmett, but I don't see what this has to do with me," Bella replied.

"I called Irina a few days ago, to talk to her about you," Emmett said exasperatedly. "I was calling her to break up for sure. But she told me that she's coming down to Washington to talk to me. She also refused to break up with me, even though that was the first time we'd communicated at all since she left."

"So…your girlfriend is coming here soon," Bella said. "And…what's going to happen?"

"I don't know," Emmett responded. "I just wanted to tell you, to warn you before she got here."

"But why would I care?" Bella asked, sounding confused, and Emmett's eyebrows contracted.

* * *

"I thought you would care because of what happened on your doorstep after Homecoming," Emmett said, and Bella blinked. She'd been holding out against hope that Emmett wanted her, but she'd been setting herself up for disappointment. "I guess I was wrong, then."

"No!" Bella said quickly. "I do care, Emmett. I just…why would I care about your girlfriend?"

"Ex-girlfriend," Emmett corrected.

"Ex-girlfriend," Bella amended. "Why would she bother me?"

"Because of the things she might try and tell you," Emmett said. "I told her about you, and she said that she wouldn't agree to break up with me until she met you."

"So…why are you going along with what she says?" Bella asked. _I never would've expected Emmett to play slave to some girl's wishes, even if she was his girlfriend._ In truth, if Emmett wanted to break up, and this Irina person hadn't shown any interest in keeping a relationship, Bella wondered why Emmett was acting like her coming down here was so important.

"What?" Emmett asked, and Bella told him her thoughts. "Well, I…I…" Emmett sighed, and Bella frowned as she looked at him, waiting. The last time he'd been this hesitant in talking to her, they'd gotten into a fight. She really hoped that that wasn't what was going to happen again. "I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend, and I didn't think you'd want to if you knew that I was involved – even if just in the sense of the word – with someone else," Emmett finally said.

Bella felt overcome. Here was everything she'd been hoping for (well, not everything, but close enough), but was too sure would never happen. "Emmett, I would want nothing more than to be your girlfriend," she said, and Emmett looked at her in shock for a few moments before a grin threatened to split his face.

The kiss they shared set off fireworks in Bella's mind, just like Homecoming.

* * *

The happiness that Emmett felt was enough to sustain him all the way up until Irina's arrival. He was at his house when she arrived, and he opened the door soon after he heard a tiny knock. _She's early_, he thought as he laid eyes on her for the first time in months.

He was immediately reminded why he'd wanted to date her in the first place. Her light blue eyes were just as vibrant as ever, and her strawberry-blonde hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders much like Bella's did. Irina was gorgeous, having inherited her mother Sasha's Slovakian facial structure, pale skin, and harsh, unforgiving demeanor.

But around Emmett, she'd changed, and Emmett had seen a side of her that was so sweet and nurturing, that'd he fallen hard and fast for her. He'd thought they would be together for much longer than they had been. And yet she'd left with her sisters easily, and then stopped talking to Emmett soon after that. It was then that Emmett had realized that the way she'd acted had been a façade. He'd fallen out of love rather quickly, though an abiding attraction had always been there.

That attraction hit him full force as he watched her walk lithely into his house, looking sinfully tempting in her sleek dress that accentuated her body in a way that seemed made to torture Emmett. Bella was a constant thought in Emmett's mind, though, and he used the memories they'd had since they'd met to resist doing whatever it was Irina wanted.

"Well, Emmett, I see you've been taking good care of yourself," Irina said, turning and giving him a very suggestive look. Emmett looked away from her, willing away the attraction he felt. It put up a very hard fight, but Emmett thought he was winning.

"The same to you," he managed, and he felt his heart race as Irina graced him with a sultry smile. How badly he wanted to surrender to this temptress… _But I'd never be able to forgive myself for being so weak…and neither would Bella._ There was no choice, and that realization cleared Emmett's head. "What is you're doing here, exactly?" he asked her in a much steadier voice.

If she was surprised by the sudden change of tone, Irina showed no reaction other than to reply, "I came to see my boyfriend. I've missed him so much, you know."

Emmett scoffed. "If you'd missed me, we would've talked. Don't give me any shit about not trying to talk to you, either. I sent you emails, I called, I sent letters, and I got absolutely no response. Why are you acting like you want to be my girlfriend still? It takes a bit more than _no effort_ to stay in a relationship, you know."

"I'm sorry, Emmett, but I never got any email or letters. And it took us forever to set up our phone line. I never wanted to stop talking to you." She bit her lip – Bella looked a lot cuter when she did that, Emmett thought vaguely – and looked down like she was ashamed.

Emmett sighed. "Even if you didn't have a phone, you still could've written, and that doesn't explain away the fact that _you have a cell phone_."

Irina shook her head, suddenly acting angry. "If you don't want to accept my explanation, then why did I come down here?"

"How should I know?" Emmett fumed. "You announced that you were coming down here when I told you about Bella."

Irina inhaled quickly, and said, "Oh, yes…_Bella_. I can't wait to meet her. Tell me, Emmett, does she make you feel like I did? Are there sparks between the two of you? Is she pretty?"

"That's none of your concern, Irina," Emmett said, ignoring (with some effort) that Irina had sauntered up to him and was now running her fingers along his chest. "Yeah, she makes me absolutely miserable. She strung me along for months, only to decide that she would try and win me back for no reason other than that she's a bitch who abandoned her _boyfriend_ and then never spoke to him again. Irina, you don't tempt me at all. What I feel with Bella is so much more than what I felt with you, because she's genuine, and not manipulative. Bella doesn't make me wonder why I ever fell for her, besides superficial attractiveness. Get your hands off of me," he finished, yanking her hands away from him.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Emmett released Irina's hands and opened the door to find a crying Bella standing on the doorstep, with Chief Swan's cruiser idling behind her. "Don't worry about feeling manipulated and strung along any more, Emmett," Bella whispered. "I don't know why you ever fell for me, but I guess that doesn't matter, since it wasn't genuine. Have fun with your girlfriend." She turned and ran back to the cruiser before Emmett could speak, and the cruiser had driven away by the time he'd run to where it had been parked.

Emmett could barely comprehend what had just happened, but he knew that, whatever it was, it had just wrecked any chance he could have had at being with Bella. He sank to his knees, not noticing Irina behind him talking frantically on her cell phone, and even if he had noticed, he wouldn't have cared. Bella was crying, and it was his fault. She acted like he'd broken her heart, but she'd just broken all of him. And he didn't know why.

* * *

"It'll go fine, Charlie, I promise," Bella said as she stepped out of the cruiser and Charlie told her he'd wait there until she went inside Emmett's house. Bella walked up to Emmett's front door and was about to knock when she noticed that there was a car parked in Emmett's driveway that wasn't his Jeep. _It looks like Irina beat me here_, she thought, then shrugged.

She raised her hand, and then she heard Emmett's voice. She couldn't hear him very well, but she could hear some words. "_She makes me absolutely miserable…strung me along for months…she's a bitch…don't tempt me at all…manipulative…make me wonder why I ever fell for her, besides superficial attractiveness._" Tears were coursing down Bella's face as Emmett finished saying whatever it was he'd been saying. He sounded angry, but Bella knew that he was probably mad at Irina. But then, why had he said "she makes me miserable," and not "you make me miserable?"

_I didn't know he was so angry at me…Was everything he told me about liking me a lie? Was he just…Was he doing that so that he wouldn't have to worry about me trying to kill myself? I thought we'd worked out that I wasn't going to do that…but now…He lied to me. Everything was a lie. I can't believe him. Why didn't he just tell me he felt this way?_ She walked to the window next to Emmett's door and saw him take the hands of a gorgeous woman gently from his chest, the woman looking at Emmett with an expression Bella couldn't place.

Bella made her decision. She knocked on the door and when Emmett answered, she told him not to worry about feeling manipulated and strung along, and to have fun with his girlfriend. That was all she'd been able to say before she ran back to the cruiser, crying too hard to answer Charlie's worried questions. "Please…just take me home…" she got out between her sobs.

* * *

Charlie knew three things as he drove his sobbing daughter home and looked in the rearview mirror to see Carlisle's nephew kneeling in front of his house. One, that that boy had broken Bella's heart. Two, that he looked just as miserable as Bella sounded.

Three, that they couldn't be near each other again.

* * *

**A/N:** It hurt to write this chapter. It hurt a lot. But, take heart in knowing that this is the second-to-last chapter of Obscurity! That's right, this double update (since I missed my last update...again...) will be the end of the story, and that'll be it. This was supposed to be the climactic chapter, and the lead-in to the very first chapter. The last chapter will continue from the first chapter, and draw everything together. I'll make it all better, I promise. Or, rather, as all better as I can make it. A note about Edward and Rosalie: they both like to play with people. Hopefully that explains what happened at Homecoming.

Also, I'm taking this opportunity to rec a fic written by one of my constant reviewers, **EverlastingMuse**. She's got a story that's already mostly posted called Bella Snape Lestrange, a crossover between Harry Potter and Twilight that I'm actually in the process of helping her revise. It's a good read, and the chapters go by pretty quickly, and it's an awesome story. So are her other stories. I'd definitely suggest that you read them.

Anyway, read and review, please. I'd really like to know what you all think of this chapter, since it is the most important chapter in the story.

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	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** This story has been going on for eleven chapters, and for the last ten I've been telling you in no uncertain terms that I don't own any of what I'm writing about, except my own experiences that are somewhat similar to Bella's. I don't know what else it'll take to convince you people, jeez.

**Obscurity**

Chapter 11

Emmett was just about to start his Jeep when there was a tapping at his window. He rolled it down to find Chief Swan looking at him. "Bella asked where you went after we'd calmed her down, which didn't take very long, admittedly. She wants to see you."

Although Emmett had been fairly sure that Bella would never want to see him again, he nearly bowled Charlie over in his rush to get into the hospital. He stopped just before her door as the thought occurred to him that maybe she wanted to talk to him to yell at him, to berate him for how much he'd hurt her. That was hardly something Emmett wanted to face, but he owed it to her to let her say whatever she wanted. He still didn't know what he'd done, but if it was bad enough to make Bella try and commit suicide, then he deserved whatever tongue-lashing she gave.

He opened the door, and the reaction he received was much calmer this time. "Hi, Emmett. Charlie, can you please stay out in the hall? I want to talk to Emmett by myself, and I don't think he'll tell the truth if you've got him at gunpoint."

"I don't have him at gunpoint," Charlie said indignantly, but closed the door anyway, leaving Bella and Emmett alone in the room. Complete silence reigned for a time, the only sound coming from the electroencephalograph.

Finally, Emmett said, "So I hear you tried to kill yourself again. Didn't I say to try hard liquor this time?"

"This time wasn't with pills," Bella replied bluntly, and Emmett didn't try to make another attempt at humor. "I got a bit too excited with a razor a bit too close to my wrists. And so here I am. Again."

"Bella, why?" Emmett asked her. "Why were you crying at my door last night? Why did you run? Why did you do this?"

"Answer my one question, and you'll have your answer to your questions, too," Bella responded. "When you were talking to Irina, were you talking about her or me during your rant?"

_What? _Emmett blinked. "You…you overheard that?"

"Some of it," Bella said. "Now that I think about it, I only heard a few phrases. And I jumped to conclusions. So answer my question. Were you talking about me…or about Irina?"

"I was talking about Irina," Emmett said. "I was being sarcastic to make a point. All the things I said, how she made me miserable and all that, that was what she'd put me through. What you'd helped to fix." Trying to remember what else Bella had told him while crying, he continued, "And I fell for her because of, looking back on it, her looks. God knows her personality isn't perfect."

"Did you fall for me?" Bella asked him, and even though she'd said that she'd only had the one question, Emmett was willing to answer this question, because he'd just figured out the answer while sitting in the hospital parking lot.

"I did," he replied. "Bella, I love you. Even after all that you went through, you showed the strength to rebuild yourself. Any help I could possibly have provided wouldn't have made any difference if you didn't _want_ to get better. I'm so sorry that I made you think anything else than that."

* * *

_He loves me…He was talking about Irina…_ These two thoughts ran around Bella's mind, making her steadily happier and happier until she started to cry again. When he saw her tears, Emmett picked up some tissues quickly and gently wiped her face, and that melted any last doubts Bella had.

"Emmett…I love you, too," she whispered, and smiled as Emmett's eyes brightened. "I'm so sorry for what I put you through, and what my dad probably put you through on my behalf."

"That's alright, Bella," Emmett replied softly. "I should've called you to let you know that Irina came early, and that you could've just walked in. I wasn't expecting her either, and then I just started talking, and…"

"I know," Bella cut across him. "What is Irina doing right now?"

"Well, I guess she called Alice, Jasper, Rose, and Edward, and told them what you'd said and what happened after that, so now they all hate me," Emmett replied with a shrug. Bella laughed at his flippant manner. _He's right; it doesn't matter what they think, or what Irina tries to do now, or what _anyone_ thinks. I can finally come out of obscurity and stay in the light now. Now that I know that I have Emmett._

"Emmett…thank you," Bella said, and Emmett smiled as he placed a hand on one side of her face, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"No, Bella, thank _you_. For asking to see me. I'm so glad you're okay."

Bella closed her eyes, content to let Emmett touch her face for right now. She was happy now. She'd have to explain to Charlie and probably Carlisle, and Emmett would have to do a lot to get back in Charlie's good graces, but if he was willing to do so, then Bella would wait for him and help him. Like he'd helped her.

She looked back on all that they'd gone through in such a short time, and she wouldn't change any of it. _Well, except maybe for this most recent suicide attempt,_ she thought ruefully. She should've known better. "Also, Emmett, I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

* * *

"Sorry?" Emmett asked. _What could she possibly want to apologize for?_

"I'm sorry that I jumped to conclusions when I heard you talking to Irina. I owed you more trust than that, but instead of asking you about it, I just assumed that you had lied to me about everything, and then tried to cut my arm off. You deserved better than that, and I want you to know that that won't happen again. I do trust you, Emmett, and I'm so, so sorry."

_Oh, Bella…_ Emmett sighed as he placed a light kiss on Bella's lips. "I forgive you, Bella," he said. "Even if you had anything to apologize for in the first place – which I don't think you do – I'd forgive you. Just…try not to make this whole killing yourself thing a habit, alright?"

* * *

**A/N: **Aww yeah, ending things on a funny note. Often, humor is the best defense mechanism someone can have, since it allows him or her to laugh in the face of whatever difficulties they may be facing. I'm so fond of humor and sarcasm that I have being sarcastic down to an art, and I wanted to put some humor into this story so that it wouldn't be all gloom and doom all the time. Not to mention, humor is I think a huge part of the basis for a relationship between two characters like Bella and Emmett. They seem like two characters who'd know how to make each other laugh, and everyone knows that a relationship can't survive just on lust and angst.

Anyway, this is it, folks. The last chapter of Obscurity. I told you it wouldn't be that long, ahahaha. Hopefully, you liked my story. If not, go ahead and click the awesome button below to rip me a new one. I don't really care; I'm proud of the story, and it's definitely the easiest time I've ever had writing a multi-chaptered fic. And hey, now I can say that I've made a concrete contribution to the Twilight fandom, wheeee~ Next step: Avatar: The Last Airbender. Look for that soon, all you peeps out there who have me on Author Alert; it'll be called Birth of the Avatar, and it'll be pretty awesome, I think. But hey; I'm definitely biased in favor of my own ideas.

Before I post this, I'd like to once again plug my most constant reviewer, **EverlastingMuse**. She's wonderful, really. :) You should definitely check her out; you can find a couple of her stories in the Favorite Stories tab on my profile. You should give her story Bella Snape Lestrange a look, as well as The Only Exception and Good Enough. All are wonderful stories, and she's also got a couple other stories that are definitely worth a read. Here you go, dear, a rec just for youuuuuu. :DD

I'd also like to thank **emmacullen817**,** EMMETTSMYMAINMAN92482**, **kelleygirl**, **Krystal**, **mihel asyki akatsuki schizo**, **neneski**, **ReadingFan13**, **sheridanodell**, and **Vicki-Emmett-Cullen-** for their reviews.

Thanks for reading, folks.

- Besh

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